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God or Mammon: A Biblical View of Finances

God or
Mammon: A Biblical View of Finances

Based on
talk delivered at the ERCS Reformation Conference on 9 Nov 2002

I am not an expert in the matter of
financial management, nor do I have much to manage. In fact, my wife is the
financial manager of God’s gracious providence to our family. I receive my
pocket money from her! So I am in no position to share about financial
management, nor would I have agreed to address this subject if that was what I
thought was required of me. But the indirect reference to Matthew 6:24 in the
assigned title assures me otherwise. For, while I cannot share any practice
advice on wealth management, nor think it fit for a gathering of Christian
people to spend time on such a subject, I believe there are some things that
the Holy Spirit intends us to learn concerning our finances. The Word of God,
after all, has much to teach us in regard to the way in which we should view
our wealth; or in other words, what our attitude with regard to money and
finances should be.

We can, in particular, derive at least
seven biblical principles, which more or less describe the teaching in God’s
Word on how we should view and deal with the wealth that God has given us.

Principle
#1:
Everything in the World Belong to God

This is the most basic principle, which we
must bear in mind whenever we begin to think about our wealth or finances. God
is our Creator and the Creator of the universe, therefore everything in this
world belongs ultimately to Him. The Scripture affirms this doctrine in
numerous places.

For examples:

Psalm 24:1—"The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof;
the world, and they that dwell therein."

Psalm 50:10-11—"For every beast of the forest is mine, and
the cattle upon a thousand hills [says the LORD]. I know all the fowls of
the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine."

If we, and all the things in the world
belong to God, then all our wealth or monetary resources belong to God. That is
to say that God is Lord even over our wealth. Therefore our attitude towards
our wealth and the manner in which we should manage our wealth is not a matter
of indifference—seeing that what we have, do not ultimately belong to us. There
is therefore such a thing as right or wrong in our attitude and management of
our wealth.

But how do we determine what is right and
what is wrong? Well, this must be determined from the Scriptures. This is why
we are drawing principles from the Word of God on this matter!

Principle
#2:
Private Ownership or rather Stewardship
is Legitimate & Appointed by God

The first principle that we had stated
that all things in the world belongs to God, has,—in the history of the
Church,—led to two errors.

The first is the glorification of material
poverty. This was the error of the monastic movement, which taught that piety
involves giving away all that one possesses. Since all things rightly belong to
God, it would surely be better to give away all that we have, rather than keep
them and be tempted to rely upon them rather than on God. This doctrine appears
to be reinforced by what the Lord Jesus told the rich young man: "sell all
that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in
heaven: and come, follow me" (Lk 18:22).

The second error, which is related to the
first, is the renunciation of private ownership of material wealth. Many of the
Anabaptists during the days of the Reformation fell into this error. Like the
first error, this doctrine seem to have its support in the Scriptures,
especially in the description of the early church in Acts 2:44-45 that
"All that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold
their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had
need."

What do we say to these two propositions?
Well, in response, we must insist that the two passages neither forbid private
ownership nor place spiritual value on poverty. They teach us rather about our
attitude towards our wealth,—such as whether we are ready to part with them out
of love for Christ and His Church, whenever there is a need. It is no sin for a
Christian not give to away all that he possesses. Ananias and Sapphira were not
punished for keeping back a portion of what they sold. They were punished for
lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:4).

Elsewhere in the Scriptures we are taught
that it is proper for Christians to own private property or wealth. The 8thcommandment "Thou shalt not
steal" (Ex 20:15), immediately assumes the legitimacy of private
ownership. How can anyone steal if nothing belongs to anyone in any sense?

Conversely, the Scripture speaks of wealth
as being the blessing of God according to His providential apportionment:
"The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with
it" (Prov 10:22). So Abraham is positively described as being "very
rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold" (Gen 13:2). Job was a man of great
wealth because God had blessed the work of his hand (Job 1:1-3, 10). Likewise,
Solomon was granted by the Lord, riches and honour unparalleled among the kings
of his day (1 Kgs 3:13).

Having said thus, however, we must
remember that Scriptural ownership is not absolute ownership. We are really
stewards of God’s wealth. In fact, we ourselves belong to God! One day we will
have to give an account of how we made use of the wealth that God has assigned
to us. This is the principle taught in the Lord’s Parable of the Talents (Mt
25:14-30) as well as the Parable of the Unjust Steward (Lk 16:1-15). In the
second parable, our Lord teaches: "He that is faithful in that which is
least is faithful also in much… If therefore ye have not been faithful in the
unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" (Lk
16:10-11).

Principle
#3:
It is Required that we should Lawfully Procure and Further our Wealth
and Outward Estate.

We have seen how God assigns outward
wealth for our stewardship. But how does he assign the wealth? Well, sometimes
He does it by an immediate bestowal of inheritance or gifts such as when
Abimelech gave Abraham sheep and oxen, and menservants and womenservants (Gen
20:14). But in general, God assigns wealth through the sweat of our faces, or
in other words, through hard work (Gen 3:19).

So Solomon reminds us: "He becometh
poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh
rich" (Prov 10:4). And conversely Paul commands "if any would not
work, neither should he eat" (2 Thes 3:10b), and "Let him that stole
steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing
which is good" (Eph 4:28a).

It is therefore clear that we should
labour to provide daily bread for ourselves and our families. But what about
furthering our wealth and outward estate in ways other that our regular
calling? Or in other words, is it right for Christians to make investments or
to manage any accumulated wealth that we may have so as to increase what we
already have?

Well, I believe so. The fact that God
approves of our managing our wealth can be seen in many parts of Scripture. In
the Lord’sParable
of the Talent, the two
and five talent slaves were commended for their using their master’s money
wisely so as to make more talents, whereas the one-talent man was condemned for
hiding the talent and returning it to his master without any profit. Note
carefully the master’s words of condemnation:

Thou wicked and
slothful servant,… Thou oughtest… to have put my money to the exchangers, and
then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury (Mt 25:26–27).

Of course, this parable is designed to
teach concerning spiritual fruitfulness, rather than on the management of funds.
However, we may see from the parable, the Lord’s tacit approval for managing
well the wealth that God assigns to us.

So too in the book of Proverbs, we see the
virtuous woman managing well the extra funds that she has by buying and
cultivating a field (Prov 31:16).

It is for these reasons that the
Westminster divines actually considered that the 8thCommandment requires "the lawful
procuring and furthering the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and
others" (WSC74).

It is therefore no sin for the Christian
to invest his savings in some ways, so as to further his outward estate, so
that when times are bad, he and his family may have something to fall back on.

Let me put it this way: Investments for
the sake of savings and prudential wealth management is legitimate for the
Christian. However, the Christian should never engage in any investment out of
greed. This then should rule out any speculative, high risks investments, even
if there is a possibility of great gains. Christians must never indulge in games
of greed and chance.

That said, we must always remember that it
is God who assigns us our wealth, whichever legitimate means we may obtain them
by: "Thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee
power to get wealth" (Dt 8:18a), says Moses.

We must not put ultimate trust in our
wealth. Indeed, the Psalmist warns that God will bring to ultimate destruction
"the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great
wealth" (Ps. 52:7).

Principle
#4:
We are Given Wealth so that We May
Glorify God

"Man’s chief end is to glorify God
and to enjoy Him forever" (WSC1). The apostle Paul reminds us of this duty in concrete
terms: "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to
the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31), he says. It should not surprise us,
therefore, to learn that our outward wealth is assigned to us as mean by which
we may glorify God.

How do we glorify God with our wealth? We
may glorify God chiefly by making prudent use of our wealth so as to accomplish
the greatest amount of good. The Lord Jesus in His parable of the Unjust
Steward, exhorts us to trade what is material for what is spiritual, or what is
temporal for what is eternal.

He says:

"Make to yourselves friends of the
mammon of unrighteousness [i.e. worldly wealth]; that, when ye fail, they may
receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is
least is faithful also in much" (Lk 16:9-10a).

How may we do so? Solomon suggests a way:
"He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he
hath given will he pay him again" (Prov 19:17). The apostle Paul makes it
into a command, especially for those who were guilty of theft: "Let him
that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the
thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth" (Eph
4:28).

Another way, of course, is to support the
Lord’s work, whether it be to provide for the poor or to provide the finances
necessary to promote the work of the Gospel:

He which soweth
sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap
also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him
give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God
is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (1 Cor 9:7-8)

There are obviously many other ways to do
good with our wealth. We forbear to enumerate them. But we agree with the Southern
Presbyterian theologian Robert Lewis Dabney, that Christian stewardship
requires us to make the most efficient use of our wealth. He writes:

"It is our
duty to make the best use of every part of our possession that is possible in
our circumstances. If there was any way within our reach in which our money
might have produced more good and more honor to God when we spent it in
something innocent, but less beneficial to his service, we have come short of
our duty.We have
sinned" (Discussions
of Robert Lewis Dabney[BOT,
1967], 1.4).

Are you a good steward of the wealth that
God has assigned to you? Are you glorifying God with your wealth?

Principle
#5:
It is Legitimate to Enjoy the Wealth that
God Gives Us

When we consider that we are but stewards
of God’s wealth, and that we have the responsibility to make the most efficient
use of the wealth assigned to us, it is easy for us fall into asceticism—which
is that we should only make use of our wealth for things that areabsolutelynecessary.

This may sound very pious, but it is
really an error. The psalmist reminds us that God provides "wine that
maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine" (Ps
104:15a). These things are obviously not bare necessities, and are in some ways
luxuries. Likewise, in the creation accounts, the trees that God made, are said
to be not just good for food but "pleasant to the sight" (Gen 2:9).
This clearly indicates that God does not intent us to be pure utilitarians. It
is right and proper for us to enjoy the things of this world that may not be of
absolute necessity to us.

John Calvin, who seemed quite ascetic in
his own life put it this way:

"If we are to
live, we have also to use those helps necessary for living. And we also cannot
avoid those things which seem to serve delight more than necessity" (ICR3.10.1).

Then he gives us three helpful principles
with regards to the enjoyment of God’s wealth that goes beyond necessities:

Firstly, "the use of God’s gifts is
not wrongly directed when it is referred to that end to which the Author
himself created and destined them for us, since he created them for our good,
not for our ruin." That is to say: If something is intended by God for our
pleasure, then it is not wrong to derive pleasure from it.

Secondly, "they who have narrow and
slender resources should know how to go without these things patiently, lest
they be troubled by an immoderate desire for them." That is to say, no one
should give priority to acquiring anything that is not a necessity.

And thirdly, "all those things which
were so given to us by the kindness of God, and so destined for our benefit,
…are as it were, entrusted to us, and we must one day render account of
them." That is to say: It is not wrong to enjoy what God has given for our
enjoyment, but we must remember that we will one day be called to give an
account of our lives. Solomon says essentially the same thing:

"Rejoice,
O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy
youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but
know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment"
(Ecc 11:9).

Yes, we must use our wealth responsibly,
because we are stewards of God’s wealth. But no, we need not feel guilty to
indulge in some luxuries or pleasure with moderation.

Principle
#6:
The love of Money is the Root of all Evil whereas Godliness with Contentment
is Great Gain

The apostle Paul says: "For the love
of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have
erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1
Tim 6:10).

No, money itself is not the root of evil.
It is thelove, or earnest pursuit if money that give
rise to much evils. This love for money is by any other name, covetousness. The
apostle Paul teaches us that the "covetous man… is an idolater" (Eph
5:5) and "covetousness… is idolatry:" (Col 3:5). He who pursues after
mammon has mammon as his idol. Thus the Lord Jesus warns:

"No
servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the
other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve
God and mammon." (Lk 16:13)

But when does one begin to serve mammon?
It is obvious that we need to labour in order to get our daily bread, so it is
obvious that labouring to obtain our daily living does not constitute serving
mammon. You begin to serve mammon, however, when you begin to pursue mammon for
the sake of pursuing wealth, or when you give priority in your life to the
pursuit of wealth. Thus, you would clearly be pursuing mammon or demonstrating
a love for money if you are willing to compromise your Christian principles in
order to obtain the wealth which you desire. Thus you would clearly be serving
mammon and not simply labouring for a living if you willingly compromise you
Sabbath rest and worship, for the extra income. Likewise, you would be serving
mammon if you expend all your energy in the pursuit of wealth so that you have
little time or energy to pursue after heavenly treasures, and instead allow the
deceitfulness of riches, to choke any Word heard so that you become unfruitful
(Mt 13:22).

Rather than pursuing wealth, the Christian
must "But seek… first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness" (Mt
6:33a). That is to say he must put priority to the service and worship the Lord
and to his Christian witness. When he does so, he can expect that those things
that are necessary for his sustenance will be added unto him by the Lord (Mt
6:33b).

While the world pursues after wealth, and
then ask God to bless their pursuits, the Christian must pursue after the Lord
first, so that even their labours must be "as unto the Lord" (Col
2:23).

Such a Christian will understand what the
apostle Paul means by "Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1
Tim 6:6). Such a Christian would also not become unduly anxious, should
Providence makes it necessary for him to live on his savings for a time. What
is the purpose of savings but so as to provide for the time when we have
insufficient to live comfortably (cf. Prov 6:6–8).

Principle
#7:
True wealth is Spiritual, not Material

This final principle is related to the
previous point. The Christian must never be tempted to measure wealth by how
much a man owns. A man who is poor in the standard of
the world, may be very rich in God’s sight; whereas one who is very rich by the
world’s standard may be miserably poor. The Lord Jesus was stressing on this
point when he says "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s
life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth"
(Lk 12:15). What He is saying, essentially, is that the worth of a man is not
determined by what he owns. Therefore, as the disciples of Christ we should
never say "So-and-so is worth so much" when what we mean is that he
owns that much worldly wealth.

The rich fool in the parable which the
Lord spoke to illustrate the point we just stated, is a typical example of a
truly poor man. He thought himself to be rich. He said: "I will say to my
soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat,
drink, and be merry" (Lk 12:19). But the next day, his real worth is
exposed. He dies. He loses everything—not only all he possessed, but his soul
as well. "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward
God" (Lk 12:21).

Conversely, the Christian who seek first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, may have nothing, and yet possess all
things (2 Cor 6:10). For as the apostle Paul says: "For ye know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich" (2 Cor 8:9).

Indeed, Christians who are materially
poor, and therefore have no riches to trust in are often spiritually very rich
because their trust is in the Lord. So James says:

"Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath
not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom
which he hath promised to them that love him? " (Jas 2:5)

Are you rich in the world, but poor in the
Lord? Then you are still languishing in poverty. Are you poor in the sight of
the world, but rich in the Lord? Blessed are you, for yours is the kingdom of
heaven (Mt 5:3).

Conclusion

We learned seven biblical principles with
regard to personal wealth or finances:

1.Everything
in the world belongs to God

2.Private
ownership or rather stewardship is legitimate & appointed by God

3.We
should lawfully procure and further our wealth and outward estate.

4.We
are given wealth so that we may glorify God

5.It is
legitimate to enjoy the wealth that God gives us.

6.The
love of money is the root of all evil whereas godliness with contentment is
great gain

7.True
wealth is spiritual, not material

Martin Luther once taught that three
conversions are necessary for the Christian: the conversion of his heart; the
conversion of his mind and the conversion of his purse. May the Lord grant us
that this short study may be used of Him for the latter two ‘conversions’ for
His own glory. Amen.

—JJ Lim

WLC 141.What are the duties required in the Eighth
Commandment?

A.The duties required in the Eighth
Commandment are, truth, faithfulness, and justice in contracts and commerce
between man and man;1rendering to everyone his due;2restitution of goods unlawfully detained
from the right owners thereof;3giving and lending freely, according to our abilities, and
the necessities of others;4moderation of our judgments, wills, and affections
concerning worldly goods;5a provident care and study to get,6keep, use, and dispose these things which
are necessary and convenient for the sustentation of our nature, and suitable
to our condition;7a
lawful calling,8and
diligence in it;9frugality;10avoiding unnecessary law–suits,11and suretiship, or other like engagements;12and an endeavour, by all just and lawful
means, to procure, preserve, and further the wealth and outward estate of
others, as well as our own.13

A.The duties required in the Tenth
Commandment are, such a full contentment with our own condition,1and such a charitable frame of the whole
soul toward our neighbour, as that all our inward motions and affections
touching him, tend unto, and further all that good which is his.2